I. Foundation: Time and circumstances, the Leviticus Era.

It seems ironic to start the story of a noble Order like that of the Lordaeron Knights by describing the deeds of a man like Amon Whitechapel. But they say that good things blossom during bad times. That evil and despair are the materials from which kindness, courage and hope immerge. Whether such heavy words are part of the universal laws, I would not dare to acknowledge. But I do know that in the case of the Leviticus era, these words held truth.

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As was described earlier (see p. 245, Chapter 14 "The House of Leviticus"), the House of Leviticus was an Order of Paladins, led by Ammon Whitechapel, a powerful individual with the talent to manipulate and influence the will of others. A fanatic by belief, Ammon Whitechapel gathered willing men in his House and turned them into fanatics like himself, turning his Order into an Inquisition. He soon begun a sort of Crusade against all those he called heretics, in an attempt to "purge" as he claimed, Stormwind's society. With the silent approval of the Cathedral who watched idly all that happened, the House of Leviticus performed public executions, stake burnings, mob stonings, hangings and decapitations of "witches", "harlots" and "heretics", in the name of Light and Purity. It is important to mention here that the properties of all those executed passed to the Order, so it was not long before the House of Leviticus had control over most of the Elwynn Forest territory. The village of Goldshire became the Order's headquarters and it was renamed in honor of Whitechapel. With the support of many misguided folk who believed in his words of "Cleansing", the Order continued its crimes unchallenged and soon Whitechapel turned his eyes to Stormwind and the Throne of Humans itself.

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Of course, not all stood and watched. There were a lot of individuals who opposed the House and tried to stand against it. Most of them ended up on the stake and those fortunate enough to avoid arrest by Whitechapel's infamous "Death Hands", soon found themselves forced to exile and with a price on their head. No organized force however, stood openly against them until the foundation of the "Grand Order of the Knights of Lordaeron".

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It is unclear how and with whose support the Knights of Lordaeron were formed as the only record about their foundation is the Charter that was deposited in Stormwind's military files. The signatures on it bear little political significance, as it was mainly signed by adventurer's and retired soldiers of Lordaeron's military forces. This has formed several speculations about the background support, both political and financial, that the Order received. Some believe it was supported by Stormwind nobles who grew weary of Whitechapel's growing power and needed someone to oppose him both in arms and in religious ground. Others believe that it was the Cathedral who supported the foundation of the Knights, for it too, saw that Whitechapel's influence over people could soon turn them against it. Some scholars go as far to connect the Order with the Secret Service of Stormwind and others, maybe more romantic, believe there was no support and that simply a handful of people who could not stand the monstrosities of the House decided to unite and stand against it. It seems possible to me that the truth lies behind all of those speculations and we will see why.

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The leading figures of the Order were two ex-Lordaeron military officers of the Lordaeron forces, Kate Mollrye (of the 3rd Division) and Benedict Dalian (7th Division), both of them talented Paladins. Kate Mollrye came from a farmer family. Her military talent and connection to the Light became obvious fairly early in her life and, despite the fact of such carrier being considered more of a male one, she trained as a Paladin and joined the Lordaeron Military at an early age, where she earned an officer ranking during the War of the Invasion. It is hard to connect her with any grand political force, except perhaps from the Cathedral, though her strong individuality would suggest otherwise. The name Dalian, on the other hand, can be tracked down to King Terenas' private guard, an honorary title with not only military power but some political as well. Furthermore, Benedict Dalian's strong sense of duty and military thinking could imply that he was connected with behind-the-scenes forces. A connection to the Stormwind nobles, therefore, seems possible.

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Other individuals give a different perspective. Records of rogues such as the one named only "Tiranda" could imply a connection to the Secret Service, though, as expected, no such records or witnesses exist and therefore they rely solely on speculation. It is interesting however, that an officer status was given to individuals such as Alfos de Lerac, an aged paladin who served as an advisor to the young leaders of the Order, despite the fact he was previously a member of the House of Leviticus and seemingly had no previous connection to either military or political forces. Even more interesting is the fact of mages (such as Aeiira and Yamikalo) being members of the Order, despite the Order's status of Knighthood, a status which is usually reserved for orders of Paladins or Warrior/Soldiers. This seems to support more the belief of a behind-the-scenes support, that wished to strengthen the newly founded Order's status in the military ranks, instead of it being marked as another Mercenary or Adventuring Band.

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One thing is certain. The Paladins of the guild were seen numerous times to meet with Holy Mother Lady Roja, both a noble and powerful member of the Cathedral. There is however, no evidence of direct support by her, which is also proven by the fact that the Order always seemed to be unpredictable in its actions and almost indifferent in political affairs, unless those opposed the common sense of "Right", however elusive the term is.

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Whether supported or not, the Knights of Lordaeron were formed and managed to obtain Knighthood status. Even before the foundation of the Order, all the individuals that formed it had directly opposed Whitechapel's actions and methods, which led to several of them being marked as pray for bounty hunters. With the creation of the Order though, those who were in exile returned to Stormwind and a direct confrontation begun. From simple arguments with the House's members to fatal duels between some Knights and Whitechapel's Death Hands (Benedict Dalian's duel with Death Hand Aedras still being remembered and described in Inns to this day), the field's of Elwynn and the squares of Stormwind became the battlefield of a war of determination and belief, as well as weapons and spells. To this, a secret war of spies and deceit took place, with later Knight of Lordaeron Nienninque Dellente being the head of the Knights' spear behind the enemy lines, as Whitechapel showed a special interest in her person.

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Soon, as the people who feared to raise their voices saw that at last, someone stood openly against the House of Leviticus, Ammon Whitechapel felt his power slipping. To this he replied with more savage and extreme measures of public executions. Within a few weeks, several other orders and bands raised their voices against the House, like the Order of the Razor Thorn, Theramore Watch, the Highbornes.

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That was his mistake. The brutality of his orders and the non-existent logic behind them, made even his closest allies question both his "divinity" and his sanity. Lord Obosi, Whitechapel's half-brother and right hand, with the support of Death Hand Aedras and other members of the House, contacted the Knights, acknowledged his mistakes and the error of Leviticus, and asked for their support to overthrow Whitechapel. The Knights finally saw the chance they were seeking. Since they were severely outnumbered, an assault from within was the only real option they had. Arrangements were made through spies, secret meetings took place and deals were sealed. Then, Whitechapel made a second mistake.

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In his effort to regain the people's favor and the support of other Orders and Guilds, he arranged for a Grand Meeting in Theramore Isle. Surrounded by mostly enemies and with Obosi and Aedras as his only companions, along with a couple of guards, Whitechapel tried to turn the tide. He never managed to finish his speech. With the support of the Knights who guarded the scene, Lord Obosi announced to Ammon Whitechapel that he was no longer the head of the House. Ammon Whitechapel had arranged without knowing it, the best possible scenery for his fall. As the Knights rushed to arrest him though, he escaped with magical help. Taking what few followers he had and with the Book of Leviticus that was given to the Head of the House, he desperately attempted to overthrown the King of Stormwind, but failed, loosing what little power he had left. After that, he went in hiding in the Elven Lands then after avoiding arrest several times, fled to the North.

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With the House of Leviticus practically disbanded and the forming of a the House of Solaris, which was led by Obosi, the Knights found much recognition and gained respect by the simple people, the Throne, as well as by the Alliance Headmasters. Though this respect was shown only in words and honorary speeches at the time, the Order had numerous applications. Soon, the handful of people that formed an "order" of Knights became responsible for larger numbers and soon, the Knights of Lordaeron became truly a Military Order of growing power.

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